Venice Biennale of Architecture 2025:Giardini della Marinaressa
UnEarthed/2nd Nature/PolliNATION
The Giardini Della Marinaressa exhibition was designed to promote an environmental ideal; a complete system between the built environment and nature that is not only sustainable, but benefacts the natural world. The word Observatory is defined by a room building or space that allows “for the study of natural phenomena”, and that is what this artifact strived to do.
The materials used are ecologically and literally “light” onsite and seem to be floating, which furthers the idea of an ideal, something just out of reach. It was important not to force change, or tell the people of Venice how to live, so this lightness while benefitting the garden communicates change and the truth; that we are just visitors to the real climate crisis of Venice.
This project is the culmination of a year and a half of work from the No Blue No Green honors college studio at Virginia Tech. Special Thanks Enric Ruiz-Geli, Kevin Jones, Ellen Braaten, Jon Thorson, Ana Bilski and Soren Winistorfer.
Students from No Blue No Green: Adler Dills, Daphne Longmire, Matthew KRM, Javier Mico-Crump, Paige Barnhart, Spencer Burton, Failenn Aselta, Casper Rao
Original concept sketch by Adler Dills
Original concept sketch by Adler Dills
Conceptual render
Conceptual render
No Blue No Green Studio Members and Faculty
Industry Partners
The Modern Beekeeper, 1938 Credit: Venice Gardens Foundation.
SWIPE THROUGH: Masterplan of the garden
Masterplan with The Observatory
Canopy of The Observatory
The arches are mass timber, coming into steel joint
Section view of the mass timber arches, ETFE, and metal cables
Mid Presentation. Left to Right: Jon Thorson, Kevin Jones, Enric Ruiz-Geli
A portion of the No Blue No Green Studio presentation
Early design for USM in the garden
Early design for USM in the garden
SWIPE THROUGH: Conceptual render
Conceptual render
Conceptual render
Conceptual render
Conceptual render
Conceptual 360 Video
Bare bones of the Pavilion
Unrolling the ETFE
Attaching the ETFE to the aluminum brace
Deburring a piece of aluminum
SEELE
Time lapse
Inflation
Detail
Comparing 3D model to reality
Comparing reality to 3D
Placing the USM panels
Debate over panel placement with Kevin Jones
USM team, Soren Winistorfer, Enric Ruiz-Geli, and Adler Dills
Placing ceramics
2nd Nature
In The Garden
May 9th Symposium Speakers: Kevin Jones, Elizabeth Diller, Vicente Guallart, Summer Islam, Olalekan Jeyifous, Mitchell Joachim, Maria Lisogorskaya, Ferdinand Ludwig, Mireia Luzarraga, Qingyun Ma, Claudia Pasquero, and Enric Ruiz Geli, Cloud 9 Architecture. May 9th Symposium Moderator: Aaron Betsky
Elizabeth Diller
May 9th Symposium Speakers: Kevin Jones, Elizabeth Diller, Vicente Guallart, Summer Islam, Olalekan Jeyifous, Mitchell Joachim, Maria Lisogorskaya, Ferdinand Ludwig, Mireia Luzarraga, Qingyun Ma, Claudia Pasquero, and Enric Ruiz Geli, Cloud 9 Architecture.
The Virginia Tech students and faculty invited to Venice and Industry Partners
